The Rumford Meteor » Mind Your Ownhttp://rumfordmeteor.com
Maine news from the seat of Oxford CountySun, 02 Aug 2015 17:57:53 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Hotel Impossible Had to Destroy the Hotel in Order to Save Ithttp://rumfordmeteor.com/hotel-impossible-had-to-destroy-the-big-easy-lounge-in-order-to-save-it/
http://rumfordmeteor.com/hotel-impossible-had-to-destroy-the-big-easy-lounge-in-order-to-save-it/#commentsSun, 26 Jul 2015 13:14:48 +0000http://rumfordmeteor.com/?p=14386BANGOR, Maine — Expect plenty of drama when reality television show “Hotel Impossible” eventually broadcasts what happened inside The Charles Inn during filming and renovations at the historic downtown hotel this week. As a result...

]]>BANGOR, Maine — Expect plenty of drama when reality television show “Hotel Impossible” eventually broadcasts what happened inside The Charles Inn during filming and renovations at the historic downtown hotel this week. As a result of the reality TV show’s presence, the Big Easy Lounge — a bar owned by Paul Beaulieu in the hotel’s lobby — was ousted from the building, he said. Beaulieu publicly announced Thursday on the business’s Facebook page that the Big Easy had shut down. He later said the changes proposed by the TV show led to the end of his business. “I sincerely tried to keep things rolling and amicable but [Charles Inn owner] Connie [Boivin] has decided that a bar is just not a good fit for her hotel,” Beaulieu wrote. “I have to respect her for her decision and wish her the very best in the future!” The Travel Channel show features veteran hotelier Anthony Melchiorri, who tries to turn around struggling hotels by overhauling their appearance and operations. Filming started in Bangor early this week. Built in 1873, the building has 30 rooms, an art gallery and — until recently — a bar. (read more at the Bangor Daily News)

]]>http://rumfordmeteor.com/hotel-impossible-had-to-destroy-the-big-easy-lounge-in-order-to-save-it/feed/0Portland City Council Raises Minimum Wage to You’re Firedhttp://rumfordmeteor.com/portland-city-council-raises-minimum-wage-to-youre-fired/
http://rumfordmeteor.com/portland-city-council-raises-minimum-wage-to-youre-fired/#commentsSat, 11 Jul 2015 09:06:40 +0000http://rumfordmeteor.com/?p=14212PORTLAND — Despite a more modest recommendation from its Finance Committee, the City Council on Monday voted 6-3 to create a minimum wage for Portland workers of $10.10 per hour. The minimum will go into...

]]>PORTLAND — Despite a more modest recommendation from its Finance Committee, the City Council on Monday voted 6-3 to create a minimum wage for Portland workers of $10.10 per hour. The minimum will go into effect Jan. 1, 2016, increase to $10.68 in 2017, and be pegged to the rate of inflation beginning in 2018. The state-mandated minimum wage is $7.50 per hour, 25 cents more than the minimum guaranteed by federal law. The new city ordinance is similar to one drafted by a public task force last September and first suggested in January 2014 by Mayor Michael Brennan. But the Finance Committee scaled back the draft in April to a minimum wage of $8.75 next year, with a phased increase to $9.75 in 2020. The committee’s proposal would not have been tied to the rate of inflation, and would not have applied to jobs whose wages are based on tips. On Monday, Councilor Jon Hinck proposed adopting the original pay hikes, saying they hit “the sweet spot.” “There is no science for this,” Hinck said. “… But one thing I’m confident in is that we’re not being too aggressive.” Councilor Ed Suslovic, who voted in the minority with Councilors David Brenerman and Nicholas Mavodones Jr., acknowledged that there was universal support on the council for a higher minimum wage. (read more at the Forecaster)

]]>http://rumfordmeteor.com/portland-city-council-raises-minimum-wage-to-youre-fired/feed/0Burt’s Bees Founder Dies at 80 Despite Having the Lips of a Ten-Year-Oldhttp://rumfordmeteor.com/burts-bees-founder-dies-at-80-despite-having-the-lips-of-a-ten-year-old/
http://rumfordmeteor.com/burts-bees-founder-dies-at-80-despite-having-the-lips-of-a-ten-year-old/#commentsMon, 06 Jul 2015 14:22:19 +0000http://rumfordmeteor.com/?p=14155The co-founder and namesake of Burt’s Bees, who was affectionately called “The Bee Man,” died Sunday at a Bangor hospital after a brief illness. Burt Shavitz, a beekeeper who lived in Guilford, was 80, according...

]]>The co-founder and namesake of Burt’s Bees, who was affectionately called “The Bee Man,” died Sunday at a Bangor hospital after a brief illness. Burt Shavitz, a beekeeper who lived in Guilford, was 80, according to an announcement posted Sunday on the Burt’s Bees website. In 1984, Shavitz co-founded the company in Dover-Foxcroft with Roxanne Quimby. Together, the business partners built a reputation for selling some of the nation’s leading natural health and beauty care products. They relocated the business to North Carolina in 1994. In the late 1990s, they split up, and in 2003, Quimby sold the company to AEA Investors. Shavitz moved back to Maine and became less involved in the company, said a company spokeswoman, Christina Calbi. (read more at the Kennebec Journal)

]]>http://rumfordmeteor.com/burts-bees-founder-dies-at-80-despite-having-the-lips-of-a-ten-year-old/feed/0David Rockefeller Expected to Celebrate His 100th Birthday By Excreting Some Kind of Rock-Hard Pellethttp://rumfordmeteor.com/david-rockefeller-expected-to-celebrate-his-100th-birthday-by-excreting-some-kind-of-rock-hard-pellet/
http://rumfordmeteor.com/david-rockefeller-expected-to-celebrate-his-100th-birthday-by-excreting-some-kind-of-rock-hard-pellet/#commentsTue, 26 May 2015 09:48:03 +0000http://rumfordmeteor.com/?p=13427The oldest member of the Rockefeller family is giving a gift as part of his 100th birthday celebration: 1,000 acres of land including streams, trails and carriage roads abutting Acadia National Park. David Rockefeller, the...

]]>The oldest member of the Rockefeller family is giving a gift as part of his 100th birthday celebration: 1,000 acres of land including streams, trails and carriage roads abutting Acadia National Park. David Rockefeller, the retired CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank and grandson of oil tycoon John Rockefeller Sr., is transferring family property at Little Long Pond in Seal Harbor to the Mount Desert Island & Garden Preserve, describing it as a “gift to all the people of Maine.” “This magnificent state and its wonderful residents have been such an integral part of my family’s history. It is my hope that the public should forever benefit from this beloved tract of land,” Rockefeller said in a statement. The 99-year-old Rockefeller, who turns 100 on June 12, will be joined by his daughter Neva Rockefeller Goodwin and son David Rockefeller Jr., at a formal announcement today. (read more at the Times Record)

]]>http://rumfordmeteor.com/david-rockefeller-expected-to-celebrate-his-100th-birthday-by-excreting-some-kind-of-rock-hard-pellet/feed/0Infographic Shows States Ranked As Countries By GDP. Maine Is A Public Bathroom In Birkina Fasohttp://rumfordmeteor.com/infographic-shows-states-ranked-as-countries-by-gdp-maine-is-a-public-bathroom-in-birkina-faso/
http://rumfordmeteor.com/infographic-shows-states-ranked-as-countries-by-gdp-maine-is-a-public-bathroom-in-birkina-faso/#commentsThu, 30 Apr 2015 15:08:10 +0000http://rumfordmeteor.com/?p=13205Here’s an interesting “what if?” scenario. Say the United States dissolved, and each state became independent. Where would all those new countries rank with the rest of the world in terms of GDP? Maine, as...

]]>Here’s an interesting “what if?” scenario. Say the United States dissolved, and each state became independent. Where would all those new countries rank with the rest of the world in terms of GDP? Maine, as it turns out, would place 146th out of 240 countries, according to this infographic from Dadaviz. That’s way behind California, which would have the 10th largest economy by GDP. Maine’s 2013 GDP was tallied at $51.2 billion, an increase of only 0.9 percent from the previous year, and 41st in the nation in terms of growth. (see more at the Bangor Daily News)

Technology giant Apple is partnering with The Conservation Fund to preserve more than 32,400 acres of timberland in Aroostook County. The Arlington, Va.-based nonprofit announced Thursday that Apple’s “precedent-setting” investment will help preserve Reed Forest as a working forest, ensuring that it will continue to produce a steady supply of sustainably harvested timber for paper and pulp mills. The forest, also known as Reed Plantation, is located in southern Aroostook County on the Mattawamkeag River, near the border of Penobscot and Washington counties. Apple’s level of investment into the conservation project’s is not being disclosed, but Larry Selzer, president and CEO of The Conservation Fund, said in a prepared statement that Apple’s initiative is “precedent-setting” and that it is “clearly leading by example.” “By all accounts, the loss of America’s working forests is one of our nation’s greatest environmental challenges,” he said. (read more at Mainebiz)

]]>http://rumfordmeteor.com/apple-buys-32400-acres-of-trees-in-maine-portland-hipsters-already-camping-out-to-buy-an-ilog/feed/0Maine Lags Behind in Advanced Manufacturing, But Who Needs That When You Can Get Sticky Goo From Maple Trees, Huh, Smarty Pants?http://rumfordmeteor.com/maine-lags-behind-in-advanced-manufacturing-but-who-needs-that-when-you-can-get-sticky-goo-from-maple-trees-huh-smarty-pants/
http://rumfordmeteor.com/maine-lags-behind-in-advanced-manufacturing-but-who-needs-that-when-you-can-get-sticky-goo-from-maple-trees-huh-smarty-pants/#commentsWed, 08 Apr 2015 14:00:11 +0000http://rumfordmeteor.com/?p=13069PORTLAND, Maine — New England is primed to compete with other regions in advanced manufacturing, according to a study released Wednesday, but Maine’s share of such jobs lags behind the rest of the region. The...

]]>PORTLAND, Maine — New England is primed to compete with other regions in advanced manufacturing, according to a study released Wednesday, but Maine’s share of such jobs lags behind the rest of the region. The study, commissioned by the New England Council and completed by national consulting firm Deloitte, reviewed federal data sources and solicited input from regional experts to compare the competitive advantages of the region for advanced manufacturing jobs, such as biotechnology and precision machining. The new study updates a 2009 report. The latest study found that about 40 percent of Maine’s manufacturing jobs are in areas it deemed “advanced manufacturing,” compared to an average of about 59 percent for the entire region, according to 2012 job sector figures. While lagging as an overall share of the economy, the study found Maine excelled in several specific areas, including aerospace and defense. The state ranks behind others in the region in the area of medical devices and biotechnology when measured by per-capita value of shipments. (read more at the Bangor Daily News)

]]>http://rumfordmeteor.com/maine-lags-behind-in-advanced-manufacturing-but-who-needs-that-when-you-can-get-sticky-goo-from-maple-trees-huh-smarty-pants/feed/0Local Woman to Fill Out Forms at Entirely Different Deskhttp://rumfordmeteor.com/local-woman-to-fill-out-forms-at-entirely-different-desk/
http://rumfordmeteor.com/local-woman-to-fill-out-forms-at-entirely-different-desk/#commentsWed, 25 Mar 2015 12:37:25 +0000http://rumfordmeteor.com/?p=12980Mechanics Savings Bank announced today the appointment of Sonia Theberge to Business Banking Specialist. In her new role, Theberge is responsible for serving Mechanics Savings Bank’s businesses and developing new business opportunities for the bank. Theberge...

]]>Mechanics Savings Bank announced today the appointment of Sonia Theberge to Business Banking Specialist. In her new role, Theberge is responsible for serving Mechanics Savings Bank’s businesses and developing new business opportunities for the bank. Theberge will serve the Androscoggin and Cumberland counties from the Auburn and Windham branches. “I have worked with Sonia for over 30 years and have seen firsthand how customers enjoy working with her. She has both retail and commercial expertise, enabling her to service her customers well. This is a great move for Sonia and the bank,” said Ray Teixeira, VP Retail Manager, Commercial Loan Officer. (read more at the The Independent)

]]>http://rumfordmeteor.com/local-woman-to-fill-out-forms-at-entirely-different-desk/feed/0Maine Will Allow Raw Milk Sales as Long as Farms Post Signs Telling the Cows to Wash Their Hands After Using the Bathroomhttp://rumfordmeteor.com/maine-will-allow-raw-milk-sales-as-long-as-farms-post-signs-telling-the-cows-to-wash-their-hands-after-using-the-bathroom/
http://rumfordmeteor.com/maine-will-allow-raw-milk-sales-as-long-as-farms-post-signs-telling-the-cows-to-wash-their-hands-after-using-the-bathroom/#commentsFri, 13 Mar 2015 11:26:05 +0000http://rumfordmeteor.com/?p=12914AUGUSTA — Maine Department of Agriculture officials said Thursday they support easing licensing requirements for some dairy farmers who sell raw milk directly to consumers. The debate about unpasteurized “raw milk” still divides Maine’s agriculture...

]]>AUGUSTA — Maine Department of Agriculture officials said Thursday they support easing licensing requirements for some dairy farmers who sell raw milk directly to consumers. The debate about unpasteurized “raw milk” still divides Maine’s agriculture and dairy products community, as was evident from Thursday’s lengthy testimony before the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. But after several failed legislative efforts, advocates for allowing farmers to sell raw milk without a license might have found a path to success. Maine is one of more than two dozen states that allow sales of raw milk, but in only Maine’s case, the producers must be licensed by the state. Raw milk has increased in popularity among consumers who argue pasteurization kills beneficial vitamins, minerals and healthful bacteria. Health officials caution that raw milk can cause severe illness because pasteurization also kills such harmful bacteria as e. Coli and salmonella. The Legislature is considering two bills that would loosen those regulatory requirements. The first, L.D. 229, is the type of broader proposal long sought by defenders of raw milk that would exempt dairy farms from state licensing and inspections if they produce less than 20 gallons of raw milk per day that are then sold either at their farm or at farmer’s markets. (read more at the Kennebec Journal)

]]>Nancy Marshall, CEO of Nancy Marshall Communications in Augusta, has recently become certified as a reach social branding analyst, and is currently a certified 360Reach analyst and personal branding strategist. The certification gives Marshall the knowledge and tools to help her clients build outstanding LinkedIn profiles and use LinkedIn to build and nurture their network and do their job better, Marshall said in a press release. “All business is based on relationships between people,” Marshall said. “Defining your unique personal brand adds value to everything you do by making you stand out among your competitors and assuring that those who need your services will remember you and think highly of you as a person. “LinkedIn has become an extremely important social platform for building your personal brand and I’m looking forward to helping people learn how to integrate it into their social media strategy.” (read more at the Kennebec Journal)